


The Light Side of Life

by StellaFleuret



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Consensual Sex, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff, Force Dyad (Star Wars), Forests, Matchmaking, Mountains, Slow Burn, Soft Ben Solo, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26060731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaFleuret/pseuds/StellaFleuret
Summary: Rey and Ben’s friends are tired of the ignorant duo’s lack of action, even after having known each other for two years.  Oh, Ben invited everyone to a week-long trip to his family’s estate in the mountains?  The closest town is half an hour away?  There’s six bedrooms?  Wonder what could happen.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	The Light Side of Life

**Author's Note:**

> I think a lot of us could use a little more light in our lives nowadays, so I wrote this. Only took me a few months. Fluffier and more lighthearted than my first SW one. Once again, if you've read my stuff before, the sex I write is not graphic, and more emotional. Hope everyone enjoys reading, and would really appreciate comments! 😊  
> *I've posted a picture of Chewie at the bottom ❤️

Rey steps off of the Millennium Falcon, places her luggage beside her, and stretches again before huddling her jacket a little closer. She tucks her beanie a little more over the tips of her ears. It’s much colder outside the nice, toasty interior of Ben’s family private jet.

It’s already snowing, too. Tiny flakes are falling and landing on her lashes and skin as she looks up.

“Rey, come on!”

She jogs over, pulling her luggage, to see the others— Finn, Poe, Rose, and Paige— hauling everyone else’s suitcases into the backs of two shiny dark silver Range Rover Velars. She only knows this because Poe and Ben love their vehicles: cars, motorcycles, planes…

She can hear Poe gushing to Ben about how beautiful his car is.

“All right, that’s all of them?” Ben asks as the trunks are closed. Everyone nods. He tosses a set of keys to Poe, who catches them and holds them reverently to his chest, like he always does with his orange-and-white tabby Bebe. “If there’s even a scratch on it when we get there, you’ll never ride shotgun with me again.”

Poe salutes dramatically. “Yes, sir!”

The girls, and Finn, erupt in a fit of giggles. It’s even funnier to see this, considering both Ben and Poe have been in the Air Force before (where they met), and Poe was, at one point, Ben’s superior.

Chewie, Ben’s German Shepherd Chow mix, is standing beside him as he arranges a few things in the driver and passenger seats of one of the cars.

As Rey approaches his car, she hears several car doors slamming, and looks over to see Finn, Poe, Rose, and Paige already in the other one. Rose and Paige wave cheerfully and Finn and Poe, in the front, wink at her, before driving off.

She stares after them with a raised eyebrow before turning her attention back to Ben. “Guess I’m riding with you. Poe know how to get there? I thought he was going to follow you.”

“I gave him the address already. Anyway, hope you’ll be okay with Chewie kind of laying on your lap. He’s usually in the seat next to mine, but I’m not going to have you sit in the back.”

“Of course I’m going to be okay.” Rey steps over and kneels down to rub at the soft fur behind Chewie’s ears. Chewie pants happily.

“Hop in. Poe and the others’ll be there first, and I’m the only one who has the keys.”

Rey’s relatively pleased with herself that conversation with Ben thus far has been smooth. He’s normally shy and pretty quiet, though the others have said they noticed he talks a lot more with her when it’s just the two of them.

Ever since she first saw him, two years ago, at Poe’s thirtieth birthday party, she’s been attracted to him.

~*~

She had arrived, second-to-last apparently, at Ion— their favorite high-end club downtown— in a fitted, backless red dress and heeled boots. She had just cut her hair to shoulder-length, and they had been curled into soft waves just for the occasion.

Rey, after saying her name was under “Ben Solo and Poe Dameron” to the bouncers at the front, was led past the drunk, dancing throngs of people to a set of stairs towards the second level, which had a great view of the dance floor, the DJ, and the screens showcasing dazzling lights and patterns on the first floor, where the VIP area was. The suited security guard brought her over to the table where the others— Poe, Finn, Rose, and Paige, already were, with another security guard standing beside their booth. She hurried over, clutching her small shoulder bag to her side. 

“Oh my God, Rey, I _love_ your hair!” Rose gushed as they hugged.

“I _love_ your outfit!” she complimented right back, eyeing Rose’s sky-blue knee-length dress appreciatively. Even though it was mostly dark, the occasional flashing lights were enough for her to see the color.

“Why, thank you. Thank you very much.” Rose twirled, and they laughed. The petite woman led her over to Poe’s booth, where he and Finn, decked out in blazers, and Paige, were already laughing and talking tipsily. 

“Happy birthday, Poe!” Rey threw her arms out.

Poe stood and cupped a hand over an ear. _“What?”_ he shouted, over the thudding beats of the music.

 _“Happy birthday!”_ she screamed, and he laughed as they hugged. Paige and Finn were also able to get up on steady enough feet and hug her before flopping back down into the booth.

“What do you want, Peanut? Pick your poison.” Finn swept a hand over the table, where she could see a bottle of vodka and champagne in buckets of ice, a bottle of tequila with salt and lime on the side, a bottle of whiskey, several shot glasses, and a few empty cocktail glasses already.

Rey shook her head with a smile. “Whiskey, please.”

“Comin’ right up!”

“So, where’s that guy who booked you the table?” Rey asked Poe as she sat down next to him. 

“Oh, Ben? He should be here soon. Did you know the table he booked us costs two _thousand_ dollars?”

_“What!”_

“Yeah.” Poe laughed, and handed her a shot glass of whiskey, courtesy of Finn. “He wouldn’t tell me how much it cost, so I asked our busser when we got seated. We’re supposed to get bottle service when everyone arrives.” He glanced over towards the stairs. “There he is! Ben, my man!”

Rey turned. The son of Senator Leia and one of the founders of the expanding Kessel Run Shipping Company, Ben Solo, was tall and broad-shouldered. He wore a navy bomber jacket over a light grey top and black jeans, and expensive-looking black-and-red sneakers. Maybe Air Jordans, considering how obsessed Finn is with them. She wasn’t sure why he was wearing such nice shoes to a club, even if it was a downtown one. Rey felt herself building walls as he neared her. A typical pretty rich boy who spent thousands on his clothes—

Dark, shoulder-length hair. Prominent nose. Full lips, a little downturned at the ends. Deep, intense eyes.

When he was a few feet from her, she could see moles on his face. His hair looked gorgeous, and for a moment, she imagined what it was like to touch his thick, soft-looking locks. Rey couldn’t help her eyes inevitably being drawn to his.

Ben stopped in front of her and she felt something resonating between them. He dragged his gaze away from her and smiled a little as he greeted Poe, hugging each other. 

“Ben, this is the coworker I mentioned, Finn.” Poe introduced, and they shook hands. “These are his friends from college: Rose, Paige, and Rey.” 

The man shook hands and greeted the sisters before turning to Rey last.

“Nice to meet you.” Even over the thumping music, she could tell his voice was deep.

She smiled up at him, her heart pounding, relishing the feel of his hand enveloping hers. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she felt something buzzing between them. Some kind of warmth. A connection.

~*~

She still feels that connection every time he’s near her. Still feels it, like a low humming of awareness.

During the two years she’s known him, Rey has seen the kind of person Ben really is. He doesn’t really like loud parties or nightclubs filled with drunk people, but he’ll tolerate it if his friends invited him to said occasion. He’s not much of a hugger. He only hugs people he’s known for a while, or if he really likes them.

He loves movies and plays. Ones that have good scripts and a certain depth. He likes drinks with whiskey, like the Godfather. But sometimes, he indulges with the odd margarita or Cosmopolitan if he feels like it. The first time he ordered one in front of her, Rey thought it was adorable and sweet that he did like drinking “girly” cocktails every now and then. To be fair, though, Bazine hadn’t been there.

After two years, Rey’s a lot better at hiding any… _physical_ reactions. Blushing and a thundering heart have gone down a lot.

But she can’t help her body’s instinctive response to relax when he’s nearby. Or the urge to smile when she sees him.

Yeah, she likes him. A lot. 

They continue making small talk as he drives smoothly up snow-packed winding roads deeper into the woods. Closer to the mountains.

“Nearly there,” Ben says, as he turns past a particularly large rock ahead of them.

“No rush,” Rey smiles in his direction before feeling something warm and fluffy plop on top of her thighs. She looks down to see Chewie’s big head on her lap, staring up at her adoringly with trusting eyes.

Rey grins, stroking his black-and-beige head and fuzzy ears. His tail thumps against the bottom of the car.

It takes them another couple minutes before she sees something dark looming out of the gently falling snow.

Ben parks just behind the other car, where Finn and the others have already emerged and are beginning to take the luggage from the trunk out.

As soon as Rey opens the door, Chewie leaps out and begins streaking around the cars parked next to the grand estate, barking excitedly.

“Yeah, it’s one of the vacation homes, Chewie. Chill,” Ben calls, and the dog promptly shuts up and slows down to a trot up to them.

Rey’s impressed. Both with the way Chewie responded to Ben, and with the Organa-Solo Estate. It’s _enormous_. And this is just one of his family’s two vacation homes.

It’s a great two-story estate, made from what looks like old fashioned lumber and stone, and the roofs are already covered in a decent layer of snow, making it look like a fancier log cabin on a Christmas card, but without the warm and inviting golden lights.

She and the others take out the rest of the luggage and haul them up a flight of stone steps leading to the front door (Poe gets the honor of driving both cars into the three-car garage).

“Here we are.” Ben opens the door and they all step inside as he flicks on the lights.

If Rey thought the exterior was gorgeous, it can’t even hold a candle to the interior. Rustic, cozy, wood and warm tones. A few modern touches, but not that much. High ceilings, large windows. Thick stone pillars.

They leave their luggage in the entrance hall, and after toeing off their shoes, the host leads them around on a grand tour. Aside from the garage, there’s a staff bedroom and bathroom, living room, dining room, family room, a chef’s kitchen with island counters, pantry, wine cellar, and home theater on the first floor. There’s a separate workshop with a bunch of tools next to the garage (where Ben apparently fixes things with his dad), an outdoor hot tub beside a barbecue grill and pizza oven, and even an outdoor fire pit with seating around it. The second floor has a sauna, home gym, library-combined study, laundry room, bar and games room, and the master suite, Ben’s room, and other guest bedrooms and bathrooms (complete with their own little walk-in wardrobes).

There’s even a landing on the second floor that looks out into the living room on the first floor.

Throughout the tour, Ben explains everything: they had underfloor heating installed, solar panels on the roofs (which don’t see as much usage during the winter), gray water systems that were used to fill the toilets, and the stone fireplace in the living room could lower a screen over it so it wouldn’t disturb people watching movies.

Rey feels as if her breath’s been taken away again. She, admittedly, keeps forgetting that Ben comes from such a privileged family when he’s so humble. Around them, anyway. She knows that he has friends who have similar, if not the same, lives as him, but she hasn’t heard him speak of Hux and Phasma recently. 

He shows them to all of their rooms, and Rey notices that he has led her to the guest room closest to his own bedroom. She drags her suitcase in and looks around, admiring the dark wood, golden lights, and tasteful, modern decorations. 

“Everyone get settled in. Freshen up a bit, if you want. I can get dinner started or order something. How’s that sound?”

Rey steps back out into the hallway.

“This place is gorgeous, man. And you’re already doing so much for us by having us here,” Finn says. “We can order instead. Or if you order first, we’ll just pay you back.”

Paige nods. “It’s the least we can do.”

“Guys. I thought we’ve been through this.”

“Come on, Ben.” Poe slaps a hand on his back.

“Let us do this?” Rose widens her eyes meaningfully at Rey.

Rey moves closer to Ben and smiles up at him. He glances over at her, and his cheeks become rather pink, as they usually do. 

“Okay, okay. Fine. What do you guys want?”

“Anyone craving shawarma and gyros?” Poe asks with a shrug.

Everyone, including Ben, nod and make sounds of assent. 

“All right. Come on and help me order.” Finn and Poe follow Ben down the stairs and as soon as they’re out of sight, Rose and Paige turn to Rey with wide grins on their faces.

“What?” Rey gives them a wary look.

Paige rolls her eyes playfully. “Of course Ben couldn’t say no to _you._ ”

“Ugh, this again?” Rey groans, turning back to her suitcase lying on the carpet so she can open it and take out the gift she brought.

Rose and Paige had been the ones who’d recommended they bring something to Ben’s place for the weekend. Something about “Asian hospitality.” But Rey understands. She would’ve brought something anyway.

“Rey, if anything, now’s the perfect time to make a move.” Rose plops herself down next to her suitcase. “He’s single. Has been for a while, and it’s just us this week. You have our support!”

Paige nods. “Just give us the word, and we’ll leave you guys be.”

“Like this afternoon when we got off the jet?” Rey points out, and sighs. “You guys already know what I’m going to say.”

They really do. She’s said it hundreds of times. And it could be her own insecurities making things worse, but… the reasons are endless. He’s from a rich, powerful and privileged family; he’s nearly a decade older; she knows his parents have been asking him about kids (what if he wants to settle soon?); and the most important of all, Rey’s worried about their friendship. What if things become awkward? She’s probably overthinking it. Finn and the others have told her she analyzes things too rationally sometimes. 

The sisters understand her relative silence and decide to leave the room. “We’ll meet you downstairs with the gifts, okay?”

Rey nods.

A few minutes later, she’s bringing her own gifts into the kitchen, where everyone else is already surrounding the breakfast bar.

“We finished ordering a couple minutes ago,” Ben tells her as she sets two containers onto the counter. “Got you chicken shawarma and falafel, that okay with you?”

“I love that you still remember my favorite,” Rey grins, and his cheeks become pink as he smiles, rather shyly. She swallows as her heartbeat quickens for what could’ve been the fourth time in just a few hours.

Paige and Rose take out a bag of guava, Asian pears and Java apples. “We would’ve brought mangos and pineapples, but they’re not as good this season yet,” Rose says as they set them out on the kitchen island. 

Finn and Poe had pooled their money together for a bottle of Dom Perignon (not vintage, of course), and Rey opens her containers to reveal one with her homemade dark chocolate truffles, and the other with her homemade banana bread.

“Mm, I _love_ these!” Paige leans forward to open the container with the truffles. “You don’t mind, do you?” She turns to Rey.

“Help yourselves!”

Nearly everyone’s hands go for one of the truffles, including the chef herself. Ben opts for the banana bread instead. He’s always preferred things that weren’t too sweet.

“Hey, Ben!” Finn points at several medals on the fireplace’s mantlepiece, stuffing a truffle into his mouth. “Your dad was a colonel in the Air Force?”

“Yeah. Thought you guys knew that.”

The others crowd around him, and sure enough, Rey sees a piece of paper framed above the medals, addressed to ‘Colonel Han Solo.’

Finn shakes his head and Poe and Ben look at the girls’ confused faces before looking at each other.

“I guess I’m the only one who knew, since I was in the Force with you,” Poe shrugs.

They move onto a family photo nearby, when Rose points to a thin, bald man with a ramrod straight back, standing rather stiffly behind Leia. “Is that who I think it is?” she sounds incredulous. 

“The head butler, Chester?” Ben replies. “He’s on leave with the others now. That’s why my parents insisted Chewie come instead.” At the mention of his name, Chewie, who’s standing beside Ben, pricks his ears and tilts his head as his tail wags gently. “He served my grandfather for a bit before…” He trails off.

“Look at that golden tie, man!” Finn chuckles. “Chester P. O. III, at your service,” he mimics, with a very impressive British accent.

They laugh.

Rey can see Ben’s father Han with his arm around Senator Organa’s waist. Chewie is sitting at their feet with a happy, goofy smile on his face, tongue lolling out. The senator’s brother, Luke, is standing next to her with his own Alaskan malamute, Artoo, along with the family friend, Lando. The photo looks pretty recent.

She switches her attention to the photo next to it to see—

“Oh, ah… that’s not supposed to be there,” Ben mumbles, pushing the frame down on the mantlepiece.

Rey’s not sure why he bothered: they’ve all seen his ex Bazine at least once. Apparently, they had a terrible breakup that took Bazine a few months to get over. According to Ben, she’d kept pining after him and asking him to take her back.

She’d been beautiful, in a dark, dangerous sort of way. But everyone, including perhaps Ben’s parents, had known that Bazine, like his previous exes, most likely dated him for his money anyway. When Rey had last checked social media, Bazine had promptly moved onto yet another pretty rich boy, so, the woman had clearly not taken the breakup to heart.

Ben has dated tall, gorgeous, supermodel-types before. Or if they actually _were_ supermodels, Rey wouldn’t have been surprised. Now that she thinks about it, though, he never seemed particularly happy with them, and she and the others had only seen his exes in person at certain events that Senator Organa and her husband would throw: dinner parties, charity balls, birthday parties…

When Rey snaps back to reality, she sees Ben enter the kitchen and pull out several packs of meat and ribs from the fridge and some bowls and sauces. She joins him, helping marinade the meat, which she assumes will be for tomorrow night. The two of them finish in a few minutes and place the food back in the fridge before joining their friends, lounging on the couches in the living room, talking for a good half an hour before the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it.” Ben grabs his wallet off the counter before leaving for the front door to get the takeout.

Rey’s stomach rumbles when he comes back with three big paper bags stuffed with food, all smelling delicious, and places them on the breakfast bar. Chewie rises up on his hind legs and lays his great paws on the counter, sniffing at the one closest to him, and a line of drool escapes his chops.

“Off, Chewie. I’ll give you a few pieces of beef later.”

Everyone tears into the food with gusto, making a complete mess in the kitchen and dining room. But Ben doesn’t seem to care. They finish in record time, too. 

“So what do you guys wanna do?” Ben asks when they finish sorting out the compost, trash, and recycling. Rey helps him wipe down the table. “We could play pool or some video games in the games room.”

“Nah.” Finn shoots a wide grin to Poe, who’s also grinning back, almost evilly. “I brought this!” He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a DVD, with the word “Hollow” written across the top in red. The cover has a picture of two mannequin’s heads, one of a white woman, and the other of a black man, across the front. “We’re gonna watch this tonight!”

“Ooh, I’ve been meaning to watch this!” Rose bounds forward excitedly and Paige nods.

“Didn’t it win some Oscars? For the first time in a while, for a horror movie?” Rey asks.

“Yeah, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.” Finn reads on the DVD cover before handing it to Poe. “And nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.”

“Horror movies don’t get Oscars?” Paige asks, and Rose shakes her head.

“Rarely. But this one won some because it’s more psychological. Over-the-top gory movies never get nominated, if ever.”

“And dark fantasy, apparently,” Poe adds, as he and Paige flip the DVD over to look at the summary.

Rey glances over at Ben, who’s paled and gone silent. He’s always been terrible with horror movies. Poe apparently made the discovery when the two of them were in the Air Force together, and he’s been dragging Ben to at least one horror movie around Halloween each year. 

“It’s 1880. New York. Alice Devlin arrives at her father’s mannequin factory one night to discover him dead in an empty room, with a mannequin being the only other thing in the space,” Poe reads aloud, shuddering. “The police rule it as a suicide but Alice isn’t convinced. In an attempt to discover the truth, she and her footman, Thomas, follow a series of progressively disturbing clues before a frightening revelation comes to life. Ooohh…” He gives the DVD back to Finn.

“So, everyone down?”

“Yeah!” Rose and Paige exclaim.

“How about you, Benny boy?” Poe slaps a hand on Ben’s back. “Sure you’re down?”

Ben swallows. “Yeah… yeah. At least there’s a bunch of people in this house now.”

“You can sit next to me,” Rey offers, before she can stop herself. Seeing his scared, sad puppy expression makes her want to hug him. She’s always been fine with horror movies. Once you know the technicalities, it’s really easy to predict jump scares, and though the effects and makeup are great nowadays, it’s not hard to remember that everything is fake.

“Great idea, Peanut!” Finn claps his hands together. “You’re the best at scary movies.”

Ben purses his lips and nods stiffly.

It takes everyone about five minutes to get ready. She, Ben, Rose and Paige are on the couch while Finn, Poe, and Chewie are sprawled all over a pile of blankets and pillows on the rug at their feet. They all share two bowls of popcorn, some of Rey’s leftover truffles and banana bread, and some beers. Poe turns off the lights and the movie begins.

Rey feels and sees Ben shiver beside her from her peripheral vision as eerie music plays.

“The black guy’s probably going to die,” says Finn’s voice, exasperatedly, at her feet, as soon as Alice Devlin’s footman Thomas shows up on screen for the first time.

At some point, during one of the (surprisingly few) jump scares, Ben’s hand shoots out to hold hers. She looks over at him and he gives her a half-apologetic, half-pleading look. Rey nods and smiles. It’s fine, she tells herself as she turns back to the television screen, and her heart begins to thud in her chest, for an entirely different reason than the movie she’s watching.

About halfway through, there’s been a number of suspenseful moments, and when Rey looks around at everyone, she realizes they’re all touching some part of her. Finn and Poe are leaning against her calves, Rose and Paige are clutching her left arm, and Ben’s hand is still around hers. They all look exceedingly tense. The only exception is Chewie, who occasionally emits a soft snoring sound.

“Should we stop?” she whispers. “You guys don’t look like you’re enjoying this.”

“No!” everyone whispers back.

She’s surprised to hear Ben mutter, “I’m not a quitter.” Then, the others whisper back, “Yeah, we’re not quitters, either.”

“Okay.” Rey shrugs.

She does her best to focus on the story, which actually is pretty good, as well as the acting. But she only ends up half paying attention, because the constant feel of Ben’s long and warm fingers enveloping her hand feels a lot better than she’d like to admit. 

It’s nearing the end of the movie. Thomas desperately tries to convince the police of his story but they only laugh him off. The camera tilts up and begins panning across the street before entering a building opposite the police station, at the top floor. A mannequin is watching from the window. The mannequin turns to face the camera.

Finn and Poe shudder at Rey’s feet and Ben’s hand tightens around her own.

Then the screen cuts to black before the credits roll.

“Yeah, mannequins can fuck off,” Finn says as Ben immediately lets go of Rey’s hand and hurries across the room to turn the lights on. Chewie rises to his feet with a wag of his tail and scratches at the door leading to the backyard. Ben lets him out to do his business.

“You think you’ll be able to sleep okay tonight, Ben?” Poe asks, looking half-amused and half-worried.

“I’ll be fine,” Ben replies, not looking or sounding fine at all.

Chewie trots back in, panting happily, and wanders over to his water bowl as Ben closes the door, so that it’s nice and warm in the living room again.

Rey stands and stretches out her limbs with a sigh. She places the empty popcorn bowls and her containers in the kitchen sink before following the others upstairs to the bedrooms. Paige and Rose are still talking about the movie. Rey has a feeling they enjoyed it a lot more than the guys.

She heads into her room to take out the clothes, accessories, handbag, and two pairs of shoes she packed, to place them in her adjoining small walk-in closet. When she walks back to the open suitcase to pick up her toiletry bag she hears a knocking sound, and looks up to see Ben ducking under the doorframe and stepping into the room.

“Hey. Just wanted to check if you need anything. Water, extra blankets or pillows?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Rey lifts up her stainless-steel water bottle, still half full, from her bedside table. 

“And it’s warm enough in here?”

“Yeah.” She smiles.

He smiles back, gently. She takes in a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to calm her heart. Chewie chooses that moment to poke his fluffy head between Ben’s long legs, and Rey can’t help but laugh. Ben looks down and ruffles the dog’s head with a grin.

“Okay, well, I’m gonna be making brunch tomorrow morning. Everything should be done at eleven.”

“Sounds great.”

“Good night, Rey.”

“Good night.”

“Come on, Chewie.” He closes the door for her, and it takes Rey a few seconds before she realizes she was staring at the door, a part of her hoping Ben would open it again. And kiss her good night.

The next morning, Rey wakes feeling thirstier than usual. It’s exceedingly warm in bed, and when she reaches for her water bottle to sate her throat, there’s barely a few sips.

She sighs, goes to the bathroom to pee, and brings her empty bottle with her as she makes her way down the hall to the stairs. She hears soft clinking noises and some heavy breathing coming from the door leading to the home gym Ben had shown them all yesterday.

Who’s working out at seven in the morning?

Rey peers past the doorframe.

It’s Ben. He’s on an adjustable inclined bench, bench pressing what looks like a sizeable amount of weight without a spotter. She’s mesmerized by the strength and the shifting muscles of his biceps, and the way his broad chest stretches the sleeveless shirt he’s wearing.

She stares for a moment before realizing what she’s doing. Rey’s never seen him work out before. Whenever she goes to the gym, she goes with Rose and Paige. Or sometimes with Finn and Poe. But the only people who’ve seen Ben exercise have been the other guys. Apparently, they’ve invited Ben while they’re on the way to the gym with Rey, and he’s always refused. When she had just found out, it was something she had learned to not take too personally. 

That’s when he spots her. He carefully racks the weightlifting bar and sits up, snatching at the towel resting nearby and wiping off the sweat on his face. His hair is pulled up in a little bun and it’s adorable and he looks good and a part of Rey is incredibly happy to see him like this for the first time.

“Ben? Why are you up so early?”

“Ah…” He takes a swig of water from his bottle on the ground. “I had a nightmare. Couldn’t sleep after that.”

She furrows her brows. “It wasn’t from the movie last night, was it?”

Ben shakes his head. He’s silent for a moment, chewing at his full lip. “You guys decided to leave and take a plane back home, even though there was a snowstorm. I tried to stop you guys, but the plane…” He swallows, and Rey nods. He sighs and stands, swallowing some more water. “Kept tossing and turning. So I just decided to hit the gym.”

“We won’t leave you, Ben.” I won’t leave you. Rey can’t imagine a life without her friends. 

There’s a small smile on Ben’s face now. And it’s doing things to her heart again. This isn’t looking good: it hasn’t even been two days here, and her heart has been going into overdrive.

“How about you? You slept okay? Much better than me, I hope.”

“Pretty good. I hope you won’t mind if I steal one of your pillows and bring it home.”

He laughs. “Take ten. We have too much stuff in this house, anyway.”

Rey clears her throat, running a hand through her hair. His intense gaze follows her movements. “So, what’re you going to make for brunch? Still going to be eleven?”

“Yeah. I was thinking croque monsieur with Dijon bechamel…”

_What?_

Off of Rey’s confused face, Ben continues, “…or we could do pancakes? And… omelets?”

“Yeah, pancakes and omelets’ll do. We’re not like your rich friends, Ben. I’ve never even _heard_ of Dijon bechamel…” Rey mutters at the end. 

“I just want to do something nice for all of you on your first proper day here.”

Rey smiles. It’s sweet. “If you really want to, sure. But pancakes and omelets work. Or something similar. And some fruit, if you have it.” She loves fruit. One of the first things she did with her very first paycheck was buy up as much fruit as she could at the grocery store nearest her apartment.

Ben hums. “You like strawberries and pineapple, right?”

She nods, a tiny bit impressed he still remembers. “And peaches.”

“I have all those in the fridge.”

“You need help?”

He shrugs his big shoulders. “Only if you want. I’m the host, though, so you could go back to sleep instead.”

“When do you start?”

His eyes widen. “Er… I was thinking nine-thirty.”

“I’ll join you.”

“You sure?” His cheeks become pink.

“Yeah.” There’s a moment’s pause where Rey realizes she doesn’t really feel like leaving. “Don’t you have a chef or something? I didn’t know you cooked,” she teases.

“I don’t mind it. I’d help out with Mom when I was a kid. And I always liked watching our chef prepare our meals. He’d explain things to me.”

Something flutters in her belly. She loves it when men cook. It’s not one of her highest standards, but still.

Rey hears the soft clinking of dog tags. They turn to look at the doorway, and Chewie trots into the home gym; he’s holding his leash and harness in his mouth. He drops it at Ben’s feet and woofs softly, his ears pricked forward.

Ben chuckles and stands, towering over her. As usual. “Yeah, I better shower. Chewie needs his exercise. And his morning poop.” He turns to wipe the bench press down before turning back to face her again.

Rey smiles, doing her best to ignore the pleasantly combined scents of his cologne and sweat. 

~*~

“Hey,” Ben looks up with a smile as Rey enters the kitchen. Chewie ambles over to her with a wag of his tail.

“Hey.” She smiles back, pats Chewie on the head, and moves to stand beside him to look at the ingredients all laid out on the kitchen counter. “You’ve got everything you want here?”

He nods. “Do you prefer to work on the pancakes or…?”

“Ben, we can do both together. Doesn’t have to be separate.”

“Right. I’ll start with the fruit then, just so it’s ready.”

Rey helps chop up peppers and mushrooms for the omelets while Ben slices up bananas and strawberries for the pancakes’ toppings. It feels oddly relaxing and _right_ doing domestic duties with him, even if it is just food prep.

“So, what’d you think of the movie?”

She can’t help but notice that he seems to move closer to her as he asks this, so that their elbows nearly brushed against each other.

“I liked it. Great cinematography, script and acting. Music wasn’t bad, but the sound. Oof.” She shivers. “Sound is so important in horror movies.” Rey sees Ben nodding from her peripheral vision.

“I thought it was pretty good too.” There’s snuffling at her calves and she looks down to see Chewie pressing his nose into Ben’s pants. Ben leans down to feed a slice of banana and strawberry to the dog, who promptly gobbles it up, leaving slobber all over his fingers. “Got me really tense at times, but it’s much better than your typical slasher or paranormal movie.” He moves to the sink to wash his hands before walking back to stand beside her again, taking up the knife and continuing to cut up the fruit.

She smiles up at him. “It’s more psychological anyway. You’d prefer those. Or dramas.”

“You’re right.” Ben places all of the fruit he’s chopped up into little separate bowls and offers her a sliced strawberry.

“Mm, thank you.” Rey makes direct eye contact as she sucks the strawberry into her mouth, the tip of her tongue brushing against his fingertips. His gaze darkens, and she lowers her head, feeling her cheeks heat. 

Neither of them mentions what just happened as they continue preparing pancake batter and omelets like a well-oiled machine, keeping up light conversation and jokes. At first, Chewie just sits expectantly at her feet, tilting his head in the most adorable manner. When she laughs and looks to Ben for confirmation, he nods and hands her another slice of banana. The dog continues licking at her hand even after the piece of fruit is long gone.

“No more, Chewie,” Ben says, sounding like such a typical dog dad. Chewie stares at them for a moment. _“No.”_ Ben shakes his head.

The fluffy dog sulks over to the rug in the living room and plops onto it with a heavy sigh, placing his head upon his paws.

It’s nearly eleven by the time they’ve finished making six omelets and about twenty pancakes.

Ben glances at the clock. “It’s almost time. They should be coming down soon.”

Sure enough, as soon as he finishes the sentence, their other four friends wander into the kitchen, still in their pajamas. 

“Smells so good!” Rose practically moans.

“What’d you make us, Benny boy?” Poe and Finn wander over to the kitchen counter while Paige helps Rey place the dishes on the dining table.

“We’ve got omelets with peppers and mushrooms. There’s cheese and sausages on the side if you want those on top. And pancakes. Here are the toppings.” 

Rey gestures to the sliced fruit, chocolate chips, and crushed walnuts.

“I made coffee, too, but we have tea bags here.”

“This looks amazing, man.” Finn accepts a cup of coffee and plops himself down into a chair. “The two of you made all this?”

“Yup!” Rey sits down beside Ben with a hot mug of English breakfast.

“What a team,” Paige winks at Rey, who promptly averts her eyes and digs into her omelet. She notices Ben sneaking Chewie a piece of pepper and egg.

“Ben, you ever use that bonfire pit before?” Poe asks, stuffing pancake and fruit into his mouth.

“A couple times, yeah. You want to use it tonight? I bought ingredients for s’mores.”

“Ooh, yes please!” Rose looked excited.

“I haven’t had s’mores since I was a kid. Elementary school? Middle school? I don’t remember.” Paige shakes her head.

The six of them end up finishing all the food, with Ben, unsurprisingly, eating the most helpings.

Finn, Poe, Rose, and Paige shoo Rey and Ben away from the table and kitchen so they can wipe the table down and do the dishes. 

“It’s simple. You guys do the cooking and we do the cleaning,” Finn says as he soaps up the plates. “You two can just chill on the couch or something.”

They do, in fact, end up chilling on the couch. Ben stretches out on one side of the couch and Rey on the other. Their sock-covered feet touch as they banter with their friends over the sound of rushing water.

After cleaning up, everyone hurries back to their rooms to change into their snow gear. Ben had volunteered to take Rey for a spin on his snowmobile (She didn’t even know he _had_ one!), and she’d practically leapt in the air at the opportunity. Snowmobiling sounded a hell of a lot more fun than snowboarding or skiing with the others. She’d never ridden one before.

Rey and the others meet Ben in the lobby, where he’s decked out in a black-and-red jacket and has a black helmet with a silver visor underneath one arm. He looks great, if a bit _too_ dark for her taste. She didn’t think he’d look more imposing with his gear on, but he does. He’s holding Chewie’s leash in the other hand, who’s sat at his feet with his tongue lolling out. The fluffy dog definitely helps him look more approachable.

“I was thinking we could have a barbecue tonight if everyone else is down,” he says as they approach.

“Barbecue?” Finn lights up, and even Chewie tilts his head to the side, pointed ears swiveling forward, and if Rey’s not mistaken, Ben’s dog even understands the word. Because of course he would.

“Yeah, I marinated the meat yesterday, remember? Rey helped.”

“That sounds good.” Poe nods, and when Rey glances at Rose and Paige, they look excited as well.

“All right. Let’s head out.”

Rose and Paige gather their snowboards from the garage and are already making their way down the slope as Poe shows a wobbly Finn (looking very much like a newborn foal learning how to walk) how to use the skis.

Rey helps Ben push the snowmobile, a sleek silver thing with dark gray and black markings on the sides, out onto the snowy ground outside the garage.

“I still can’t believe you can drive this thing,” she says, and Ben turns to smile at her.

“Poe’s a lot better than me,” he admits. “But I promise you I’m safe, too.”

Of course, Poe would know how to drive a snowmobile. He can drive anything, at this point.

He helps make sure her helmet is properly on and gives her the basic safety protocol while on the vehicle. He stresses to not let go of his waist, at least twice, and Rey doesn’t know why he feels the need to tell her this more than once. It’s common sense, and this way, she has an actual reason to hold onto him, literally.

“Ready?”

She nods, tightening her arms around his waist. 

He starts up the engine and revs it a couple times, and she jumps; it’s a little louder than she thought.

Then the snowmobile practically lurches forward when he presses his thumb on the throttle. The air leaves her lungs in a whoosh, and she can’t help the half-squeal, half-scream that escapes her lips as Ben propels them across the snowy landscape.

Rey is still grinning when everyone trudges back inside the manor, wet, cold, and covered in snow, but breathless and flushed. 

Ben suggests they all take a nap before meeting in front of the fire pit outside later that night for dinner.

Her heart thuds in her chest when she steps into the shower, her mind swirling with snow and Ben. 

When she crashes into bed with her hair still damp, it doesn't take her long to drift off to a doze.

~*~

Rey wakes to a knocking sound on her door.

“Rey? Rey! Ben’s already grilling the food. Come on! Aren’t you hungry?”

“Shit.” She shoots out of bed and hastily pulls on some warm clothes, drags a comb through her hair, and swipes some colored lip balm on her lips before stumbling out of her room to see Rose standing there with a raised eyebrow.

“I’d never think you’d sleep in like this when Ben said he was doing barbecue tonight,” the petite Asian woman says as she leads Rey down the stairs and outside to the fire pit.

“Hey, Peanut! Finally awake.”

When she glances up, Finn’s warm gaze is twinkling in her direction, but she only shoots him a quick smile before focusing on Ben.

“Sorry I’m late,” she mutters as she steps up to him working on the barbecue grill. Ben nods over the sounds of sizzling, the heavenly scent of roasting meat permeating the area.

“It’s all good, Rey. Go get yourself a plate.”

She ducks her head and obliges, stepping over Chewie, who’s lying down beside the man like a big, fluffy sausage and staring intently with wide puppy eyes, nose twitching.

The meal goes well. There’s fruit salad, steak and potato skewers, corn on the cob, and grilled halibut. Beers and whiskey are being passed around amidst the light jokes and conversation while Rey shovels food into her mouth. Everything tastes so good, some small part of her is particularly pleased that Ben knows how to cook and grill. He even indulges Chewie (who’s completely ignored his bowl of kibble beside the fire pit) with some bits of steak.

Darkness descends like a curtain over the woods and the manor, so that the flaming pit is the only source of light, bathing everyone in a warm, flickering pool of gold. Rey helps Ben put away all the leftover food, in containers, in the fridge and when she returns, everyone’s passing out wooden sticks, marshmallows, squares of chocolate, and graham crackers.

The six of them pair off in their own private conversations and Rey, of course, ends up talking with Ben. This time, about his parents.

“I swear your mom slips into an English accent every now and then,” she almost whispers, with a giggle.

“Probably because my mom studied Politics and International Studies at King’s College London for her Master's, remember?”

“I think I do remember her saying that at one of the charities we went to.” Rey also remembers Senator Leia nonchalantly mentioning her mother being of French nobility, as if being of noble blood is as commonplace as getting groceries once a week. It’s why, she’s sure, Ben’s mom exudes such a powerful aura. Even her husband Han, and Ben himself, have a commanding presence around most people, it seems.

“She dropped out, though, after my grandparents died. It was pretty sudden. Kind of a shock.”

Rey’s silent for a moment, drinking in Ben’s countenance. He looks contemplative. “You okay?”

He blinks. “Yeah. Yeah.”

She remembers him talking about it before. He’d only been a few years old when Padmé and Anakin passed away. He’d always preferred his grandmother over his grandfather, who apparently had a bit of a temper that had even shown up in his mother and himself, from what he’d confessed.

Rey searches her mind for another topic; she doesn’t want him to dwell on this. “Are you ever going to take us to your other vacation home, then?” she asks, teasingly, and he laughs.

“Yeah, but you’ll need to wait until summer.” Ben glances around at the manor behind them with a small smile. “This one’s my favorite, anyway. Dad picked this one out. Mom picked the Hawaii one.”

“The annual upkeep must be crazy, then.” Rey can’t imagine the millions of dollars going into utilities just for their two vacation homes.

“We rent them out when we’re not using them for vacation. At least a couple weeks long,” he adds, off the look on Rey’s face. “Dad and uncle Lando like it up here. ‘Closer to the clouds,’ he says.” 

Suddenly, there’s movement at her peripheral vision and Rey turns to see Rose and Paige getting to their feet, yawning and stretching exaggeratedly. 

“I’m so tired. I’m going to turn in early,” Rose says. 

“You got up at eleven.” Rey stares at them, incredulous.

“But we exercised today.” Paige puts her arm through Rose’s. “Anyway, night!”

The two sisters turn back towards the house when Finn and Poe also stand up from the cushioned chairs, muttering something about “wanting to take a bath.” The two men even coax Chewie to follow them into the house with some treats they seemed to pull out of nowhere.

“He’s gonna sleep in my room tonight, Ben!” Poe calls out, before shutting the glass door.

Rey could’ve sworn she could hear Finn and Poe sniggering, and almost glares at their retreating backs. She knows what they’re doing. They’re not even _trying_ to hide it, but a tiny part of her is completely fine with it.

She turns back to Ben, who looks a little startled. 

Her cheeks heat when his gaze becomes even more intense and she averts her eyes, even more aware of how _alone_ they are now than before. “I’m… gonna make another s’more.” Rey places her paper plate down between them and reaches one hand into the bag of chocolate squares, the other into the bag of marshmallows. She must’ve placed the plate too close to the edge of the bench, because it topples over, and her two graham crackers break into several pieces on the ground.

“Damn! Sorry, I’ll get it—”

“No, I’ve got it—”

Rey just happens to notice Ben quickly leaning down to help her get the plate just as she does, and—

“Ouch!”

They both draw back at the same time, holding their bruised foreheads. His eyes are wide as they search hers.

His lips quirk into a smile, and she can feel her laughter bubbling at the surface. She bursts into giggles as he chuckles.

“You okay?” Ben holds a big, warm hand to her forehead, and she’s tempted to lean into it.

“Yeah, are you?”

He nods, and for a moment they just look at each other. But it’s a comfortable silence. Before she knows it, he’s moving forward.

Her breath hitches. Rey doesn’t move, though, and Ben continues inching closer still. 

The crackling fire casts a soft glow on his skin. She can only look at his eyes, his lips, as he moves closer. Her heart beats a little faster.

When their lips touch, Rey instinctively inhales, surprised. They’re warm and soft, and his scent fills her nostrils, invading her mind and heart in ways that she loves.

Ben deepens the kiss, his tongue caressing hers, and she moves closer with a sigh, feeling his hand come up to cup the back of her neck. He tastes sweet. Tastes of marshmallow and chocolate and whiskey, and Rey wonders why she’s never tried this heavenly combination herself.

That warm spark she feels whenever she’s with him is back, humming stronger.

She sucks at his bottom lip and for a moment, she’s not aware of anything else. Not the crackling of the fire or the feel of her soft sweater against her skin. Just Ben’s lips and tongue and his hands tightening around her. Just him.

Rey draws back first with a start, her mouth red and swollen. It’s been ages since she’s been kissed.

“I…” She doesn’t know what to say. Not with the way his dark gaze penetrates her, intense and unsure and perhaps even loving. Her heart pounds within her chest. “Thanks for the food, Ben. I’ll bring these in and go to bed, okay?” Her voice shakes. “Good night.”

“Rey, wait—”

But she’s already scooped up the pitiful graham cracker remnants and her and Ben’s dirty napkins and paper plates and streaking into the manor and tossing them into the kitchen’s garbage bin. 

She heads to her bedroom in a daze. After closing the door, she hovers. Presses her ear to the wood. She might not be able to hear—

The door to the room beside her closes.

Rey’s mind swirls of golden fire and Ben and his lips as she brushes her teeth and washes her face. Gets into her pajamas.

What was that? Why did he do that? After two years of crushing on him, something’s finally happened. 

She crashes into bed, finally refreshed, nibbling at her lip. So, he likes me? Has he liked me for all this time? As long as I’ve liked him?

If he kissed you, then you should talk to him about it, a voice in the back of her mind says. Not cower in your bedroom. Tell him how you feel.

How _did_ she feel?

Rey searches her mind for the words. She’s fallen in love with his kindness, intelligence, maturity, his very aura, if not his heart.

She feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She _loves_ him. 

She steels herself, practically leaping out of the bed. Need to talk to him.

Rey leaves her bedroom and strides up to Ben’s bedroom. She knocks and waits for a few seconds. No answer. She knocks again. Still no answer. She checks her watch. It’s already nearly midnight. Is he asleep?

She opens the door to find Ben sitting cross-legged on his bed, earbuds in his ears, and his eyes closed. 

She blinks.

He’s meditating.

She should really leave the room and let him meditate, but she knows that it’ll kill her if she continues dragging out whatever happened even longer.

“Ben?” Rey moves closer to the bed. “Ben.”

He opens his eyes, startled, and turns to look at her. “Rey!” He pulls the earbuds out and places the smartphone on the bedside table. “Is everything okay?”

She isn’t sure how he could say something like that. “Is everything okay.” When she looks into his eyes, though, they’re guarded. Hurt. Her heart twinges.

Rey takes a deep breath. “No. It’s not.”

Ben creases his brows.

“I’m sorry for just leaving like that—” she begins, just as he blurts, “I’m sorry for kissing you like that—”

They blink at each other.

“Why are you sorry for kissing me?” she asks.

“I thought you didn’t like it…”

“I did!” Rey surprises him, and even herself, with how quickly she corrects him. “I was… I mean, I _am_ just a little conflicted.”

“About what?” Ben steps closer.

“I… I don’t know!” she throws her hands up in the air. “You. Everything. This whole situation.”

“I really like you, Rey.” His voice is soft. “A lot.”

Rey freezes. As does, it feels like, her heart. “I… really like you, too, Ben. I have for a while.” 

“It feels like I’ve liked you since we met. Or shortly after we met.” Ben runs a hand through his hair, looking rather abashed.

Her heart flutters, and she smiles. “I wish you were a lot more obvious about it.”

“What do you mean?” He crinkles his nose as he grins. “I blush really easily.”

“Yeah… but you also have a bad case of resting dick face,” Rey teases. 

He has the grace to look a little crestfallen. “I know. It’s always been tough making friends. The money, and everyone knowing who my parents are… they don’t help.”

She moves closer and places a hand on his cheek. “And you have such a sad puppy face, too. Makes me want to hug you.”

Ben places his hand over hers, nuzzling into her fingers. “You can.”

So she does. And then he is kissing her too, soft and slow. Hugging her even closer so her breasts are crushed against his chest.

Rey nibbles at his lower lip and twines her tongue with his. He groans, and she feels him moving them closer to the bed.

His shirt comes off first, and despite the contrast of her sun-kissed skin compared to his, she can’t help but admire his body now that she’s actually seeing it uncovered. Broad shoulders, hard muscle, thick waist.

Ben kisses her again, and she’s vaguely aware of him mentioning he’s clean, asking if he needs to get some condoms. When she replies that she has an IUD, he only nods, and the rest of their clothes are on the floor in record time, and he’s shuddering as her fingers stroke the soft, hot skin of his aching length.

She’s thinking it’s lucky that Poe has taken Chewie, so the big fluffy boy will be sleeping with him tonight, and she knows for a fact that the dog nearly always sleeps with Ben, when he mutters, “It’s been a while for me,” between kisses.

She laughs. “It’s been even longer for me.”

He snickers. Flips her onto the bed and begins sliding his fingers into her wet folds. Rey moans, desire blossoming from her core. Ben’s expert ministrations are joined by another of his fingers over her swollen clit. It gets even better when he leans forward and begins sucking at a nipple. 

She tries _so_ hard to keep quiet. The last thing she wants is for her friends to know what she sounds like during sex.

As if he read her mind, Ben releases her nipple with a soft _pop_ , and whispers, “You can scream as loud as you like. The walls and windows are soundproof.”

“Really? Why?” she wants to ask, but the larger part of her can’t bring it in herself to care. 

And then, when he enters her, Rey swears her mind blanks out for a moment. He’s perfect. Thick and hot and hard and it feels so _complete_ being connected to him this way. 

“What do you like?” he breathes, continuing to relentlessly rub at her clit with his slick fingers.

“Ah— pull my hair a little.”

He runs his other hand into her hair and pulls, but not hard enough.

“Harder.”

His grip tightens, and he pulls harder, arching her neck to his mouth. Her hard nipples rub against his smooth, broad chest.

“Mm. Yes.” 

Rey holds her breath as Ben moves against her, rolling his hips and pressing inside. He rocks into her leisurely, and she could’ve sobbed aloud, if he hadn’t pressed his mouth to hers. Sweet, gentle. She wonders what he’d be like if he weren’t controlling himself. She gasps when he bottoms out.

His face contorts and his breath is shaky. “F— _fuck,_ Rey. Why do you feel so good?”

The slow exquisite glide with each thrust.

Cries spill from her lips. There’s no way she can keep quiet at this point anymore. Ben’s jaw clenches and his chest heaves. The feel of his thick length, the pressure on her clit each time he thrusts inside brings her orgasm swift and strong. It’s never been this intense with anyone else before.

He continues working when she’s come down, moving faster with a growl. Rey swears she feels him grow even harder, and then she’s climaxing again as he empties himself into her with a loud groan, shuddering. 

Things are kind of a blur after that. At some point, she’s riding him. And another, he’s taking her against the wall. They rest and talk in between. The last time is slow and sweet and tender and it’s so good that Rey almost feels tempted to cry. And if she’s not mistaken, Ben looks emotional too.

When she wakes, she can see pale silver sunlight streaming through the curtains, casting an almost iridescent reflective blue on the carpet. She forces herself to get out of bed to pee, and so she can also clean up in his shower. After finishing, Rey steps into his walk-in closet, mildly curious.

There’s a lot of black and navy-blue clothes, which doesn’t surprise her. Probably over three-quarters of his clothes are dark. There’s the occasional white or dark gray or light gray. Some red.

His shoes and sneakers have more color than his clothes. Specifically, red or white or gray. With black being the predominant color, again.

Rey wonders if he’s open to the color yellow. Not neon yellow or mustard yellow. A soft, pale sunshine yellow. It’s her favorite color.

She worries at her lip, padding her way back into the bedroom. She’s going to have to talk about it with him.

Just as she approaches the bed, Ben stirs and begins groping the sheets. He sits up with a start, his eyes opening when Rey slips back in.

“Mm. Good.” His big arms embrace her to his broad chest, and he buries his face into her neck with a sigh.

She nuzzles back, relishing his warmth.

“So… what’re we going to do now?”

“We come from different worlds, Ben,” she tells him with a sigh. She really, really wants to pursue this. But everything about them is so different. Far too different. Could it really work?

He looks upset at her words. “My parents already love you. And Chewie. Even Luke and Artoo like you enough. I really like you too.” His big hands tighten around hers, and he smiles, sadly. “But you already know that. What more could you ask for?”

Rey’s silent for a moment.

“Rey.”

She looks up and his gaze is intense and sweet and gentle and genuine, and she has no idea how he can express that so well with just his eyes.

“Everything’s going to be fine. And, I know that _I’ll_ be fine, so long as you’re by my side. If you want to be with me, that is. For sure.”

 _Yes!_ Some part of her screams. Rey smiles, tentative. “I guess we could give it a shot.”

“Yeah?” Ben’s eyes light up, the corners of his mouth tilt up in a smile.

“Yeah.”

When they enter the kitchen later that morning holding hands, Rose and Paige practically scream with delight and Poe and Finn grin at each other with knowing looks. Chewie woofs at them, his tail wagging furiously, as if he, too, understands what has happened and has given his pawprint of approval. 

“'Bout fuckin’ time, you guys,” Poe cheers, as all of their friends (and dog) crowd around to congratulate them.

Ben’s ears are red, but he’s smiling. It’s bright and makes him look so much more approachable than his typical resting dick face.

Rey smiles as well. Ben is right. Everything is going to be fine.


End file.
